Writing instruments are used in the ordinary course of school, work, social activities, and other matters, by children and adults. Multitudinous activities require use of a writing implement, such as writing invitations, homework, shopping lists, drafts, checks, diaries, phone messages, job applications, government forms, correspondence, and other materials.
Typical pens used by school children have a plain plastic housing or barrel containing an ink source. Such plain pens do not contain decorative features attractive to school children; hence are not likely to interest school children to use their pens to take notes, write assignments, and do their homework. Decoration of writing implements, of course, is not limited to appealing to school children. Expensive writing instruments made of valuable materials or artistically sculpted have been developed.
Since at least the 1800's, there have been various efforts to decorate writing instruments, for decorative and other purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. (Des.) 22,524 (issued to Ecker et al. on Jun. 13, 1893) discloses a design for a penholder handle with an unspecified spiral wrapping partially covering the surface of a penholder handle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,131,786 (issued to Morrison on Mar. 16, 1915) discloses a pencil covered with a wound paper sheet, which piecewise is unwrapped to expose lead, where an advertising message written on the paper sheet is revealed upon unwrapping the paper sheet. U.S. Pat. No. (Des.) 138,825 (issued to Waldinger on Sep. 19, 1944) discloses a design for a mechanical pencil with spiral decorations as part of the surface of the pencil near its writing and back ends. U.S. Pat. No. (Des.) 170,539 (issued to Lovejoy on Oct. 6, 1953) discloses a design for a ballpoint pen, with a spaced spiral pattern formed inside the casing of the pen, and which has a smooth exterior gripping surface. Other efforts to decorate writing instruments have included placing advertising and other messages on the barrels of pens and pencils, and adorning the eraser ends of pencils with cartoon characters or other creatures.
Such various decorated writing instruments are unwieldy, difficult to produce, difficult to use, costly, decorative at the expense of being unduly distracting or unwieldy, flimsy, and/or of limited decorative interest.
Additionally, problems occur with prior art pens, for some users, in finding a pen which they can comfortably grip and with which they can write legibly and for the desired period of time. Even healthy people not suffering from any hand-related disability sometimes find gripping certain pens, after a period of time, to be uncomfortable or painful. Additionally, many people suffer from disabilities, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and other medical conditions, which impair gripping and use of conventional writing instruments. As a result, these individuals find themselves unable to write using prior art instruments, limited in the amount of time they can write, or writing illegibly. It thus is desirable to provide for these users alternate gripping surfaces, barrel shapes, and other physical features.
On the other hand, and for completely different purposes than in writing implements, "telephone" wire has been used. Such wire is available in lengths of metal wire covered by various-colored insulating material. The insulating material may be cut or stripped from the metal wire at any point, to expose metal wire. Parts of exposed metal wire have a substantially smaller diameter than parts of insulated wire. Such telephone wire is commercially available. Similarly, "computer" wire and cords of various materials are commercially available but used for different purposes than covering writing implements. Such telephone wire, computer wire, and cording may be cut into a desired length. Additionally, such wires and cords are flexible and may be wound, bent, and shaped.
Also for completely different purposes than making of writing implements, winding methods have been used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,823 (issued to Adams et al. on Aug. 1, 1989) discloses a means for winding colored yarn onto a tube.
Nevertheless, there have existed unfilled needs for providing writing implements appealing to school children and others, for providing a different or improved gripping surface, and for providing a simple and inexpensive means for making such writing implements with decorative features and with an improved gripping surface. It is desired to provide a pen which is decorative and appealing to school children, not unduly distracting, easy to use, durable, inexpensive and simple to make, and has an improved grip. It further is desired to provide an inexpensive and simple means for making such a writing implement.